This is ultimately mediocre music that sometimes recalls the sound and feeling of excellent music, and the only thing that Heidecker brings to the table is a smirking irony that is not particularly appealing when separated from hilarious comedy.

Heidecker is working in a format where his outsized comic eccentricity isn't a defining characteristic, Starting From Nowhere understandably starts feeling strained right around the burnout ballad "Weatherman." But at least this duo shows real commitment to its bizarrely reverent soft-rock tribute, which goes just a hair beyond being straight-faced.